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JJ Rawlings: When Violence Call For “Speedy Justice” The Gods Grant It

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 Source: Mensema, Akadu Ntiriwa

*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema Ph. D.; Post-Grad. Dipl.

"Ghanaians want to see swift justice. When I mention speedy justice, I do not

mean people should be arrested indiscriminately and thrown into jail. I mean

every effort should be made to investigate the many wrongs that were

perpetrated in the immediate past…The family of … many Ghanaians are still

waiting for proper investigation into the death of their lost one

(Jerry John Rawlings (Ghanaweb December 15, 2009).

Hurray JJ jejeti JJ jejeti JJ jejeti

Hurray swift justice for all

The eternal tail of state

Spoke his heartless heart out

Let out of NDC Palace at Ridge

The man of men who has it all

The man who knows it all

Through violence and chicanery

Talks about one of his pet projects

This one is about JJ’s JUSTICE

The murderer in our silent midst

Sanctioned by yesterday’s gods

Talks about real justice for all

He is the one who killed us

And he now demands justice

Who killed innocent people

Killed others for working hard

JJ murdered conscientious judges

And blamed Amartey Quaye

Not the Ewe assassins in his pay

The stupid Amartey Quaye

Like many fools had done

Had placed JJ on a pedestal

Fools like Boakye Djan

The so-called Osabarima

Fools like Akata Pore

Fools like Obed Asamoah

Fools who have allowed

Rawlings to enrich himself

While trumpeting probity

Fools who have allowed

Rawlings to kill for power

Fools who are now in exile

Fearing their own monster-king

That now eternally harasses us

JJ is free roaming like wind

And calling for justice for all

When a violent murderer-king

Calls for justice for a generation

Of brutalized, but coward people

Then the gods are speaking

JJ has never been accountable

Not his Achimota school-daze

Where he inhaled like a bush rat

And bagged 9 nines at the O-level

Not as a bumbling air force man

Who failed all officer examinations

Not when he seized properties

Not when he took our 50-cedi notes

Not when he murdered the judges

Not when he killed his opponents

Not when he killed Yeye Boy

Not when he killed Kyeremeh Djan

Not when hundreds disappeared

Not when he buried people in the sea

Not when thousands went into exile

Not when women were caned

Yes caned in their genitalia

And coward men look on

Not when he beat up his ministers

Not when he beat up Arkaah

The third coming of Rawlings

Under Mills is for the gods

The great gods have sanctioned

That JJ loses his sanity in public

And Rawlings is losing his sanity

And we all know that now

His avid clanspeople know it

His eternal detractors know it

The sycophants know it too

The gods have sanctioned it

The gods have asked Rawlings

To call for long overdue justice

So that they can grant him that

When a murderer call for justice

The gods answer and hail him

Hail JJ Rawlings for justice

And justice he will have it all

From the great Ghanaian gods

JJ the mad monk of Ghana

Who has sidestepped shame

He is out to get justice for all

And the gods will accept it

**Akadu N. Mensema is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained

oral historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in

Pennsylvania with her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at

a college in Maryland. She writes what critics have called “populist

hyperbolic, satirical” poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com

Columnist: Mensema, Akadu Ntiriwa